Business Improvement Techniques

Many business and project situations would greatly benefit from outside facilitation, assessment, and attention to specific or general areas of improvement.  Below are three of many possible reasons to use those with an objective viewpoint, inside or outside your firm.

1. Ability to question the status quo.
2. Expertise not available the same way in your team.
3. Ability to focus on a single set of tasks rather than being “in the matrix” of your organization.

Whether your business is a startup, small, medium, or large size business at any stage, successful or failing, if you hold an Improvement Session you should come away with:

• A written specific goal for your business or large project.  Example: Prepare your business for sale, growth, free up time from your business, turnaround strategies, M&A integration, and more.
• New awareness of what to do to reach your goal.
• Renewed energy and confidence to pursue your goal.
• A “next-step” action plan for moving your business toward your goal.

Read on below for what these three areas are and how to use them to good effect.

Contact us to book your Business or Large Project Improvement Session.

We only do 2-3 of these courtesy sessions per month so book us early to ensure your spot.  Email Info@DataAnalysis.com to set your session date and time.  This is not a thinly disguised sales push.  We only discuss your business and goals.

Why do we do these free sessions?  To help you and to help us.  You get an experienced, growth or other strategy look at your business or large project and what you can do to improve.  We gain a valued contact who may know of a business owner or executive in need of a retainer-based Fractional CxO, myself or one of our many C-level executive associates, to improve or even turnaround their business, a business unit, or a large project.  We use a video call and screen share tool for quicker and deeper communication.  We find the best results when we can also review your web and social media presence prior to our session.  #BusinessGoals #NextSteps #BusinessImprovement #Startup #ProcessImprovement #Growth #Operations #CxO #Turnaround

Below are three main reasons people use outside facilitated Improvement Sessions.

1. Ability to Question the Status Quo

There are a few reasons that this ability will serve you well during your improvement session as outsiders are:

• Less likely to be timid in bringing up topics to consider.
• Objective in that they have not gone through onboarding or other training on current processes and so are not indoctrinated into the status quo.
• Likely to have no pride of authorship in current processes, staff, or reviews.
• Experienced in Best Practices outside your organization.

So the ability to question the status quo, outside of normal internal politics and momentum, can be valuable to guide your organization to using worldwide best practices.

2. Expertise Not Available the Same Way in Your Team

You and your team all have specific experience, knowledge, training, and also a set of biases and gaps that are hard to recognize.

External consultants by definition bring a different set of the above.  They have been through similar yet different sets of circumstances.  They have likely seen more different circumstances than most people since they routinely visit many clients in at least several industries.  Being exposed to many types of tools, processes, and viewpoints, a consultant’s job is to create a palette of ways to address problems and opportunities.

They should then tailor the various approaches to the exact situation to blend a best practices approach.  Consultants also frequently take the time to research, write, and discuss facets of situations in order to be able to quickly recommend and put in place Action Plans that can be implemented by your staff or with their help.

3. Ability to Focus on a Single Set of Tasks

When you bring in an outside or internal consultant, as long as they are assigned to just your team, problem, opportunity, or project, they can bring an almost maniacal focus.

This focus can work to your advantage when properly managed, helping you move toward your goals much faster and possibly better than your team trying to time slice in their efforts around their other work.  It can also backfire a bit if the consultant you choose has not negotiated your and your teams’ level of effort.

Sometimes a consultant can actually overrun your staff’s ability to respond without impacting their current work, creating a backlog of “regular” work that can cause friction and lead to several types of non-optimal behaviors.

That is why it can be best to use a consultant either on a Fractional basis, sometimes on retainer to ensure availability and focus, or have them rotate across functions, perhaps concentrating on four areas a half day a week each.  This leaves time for the consultant to research, think, create deliverables, and keep time independent lines of communication open without having working teams having to stop what they are doing to collaborate many times a day.

What is your next action?

Think through your current challenges and opportunities.  Below are three of many situations where using an outside consultant may help better and speed your results.

1. You have attempted a solution once or twice before and either stalled prior to conclusion or your solution did not “stick.”
2. You and your teams have pondered how to resolve a problem, but the right solution has not been found.
3. You are just too busy and do not want to further splinter your staff concentration and a good lead person is just not available for enough time to drive your solution forward in a timely manner.

Our most popular soft skills course covers these and many other topics in an experiential way, and while useful for everyone, is especially valuable for those in or seeking or wanting to improve their performance in formal or informal leadership positions.

Topics include: Who We Are & What We Do as Leaders, Change Yourself First, Set and Fulfill Expectations, Lead By Example: Model the Behavior You Want, and many more.  www.dataanalysis.com/training/courses/impactful-leadership-and-management-best-practices-for-supervisors-to-cxos.

What Should Leaders Do to Leverage Outside Consultants?  Your Thoughts?

Thoughts on how you can get the best from both your teams and outside consultants?  Good luck and keep your eye out for ways to drive your goals forward!

Your path to business success.